Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-18

little s'scherm, y or small Enclosure, fenced
with thorn bushes, to light a fire. I, with
Sir Henry and Umslopogaas, would 90 out
to shoot something for the pot. Generally
this was an easy task, for all sorts of game
abounded on the banks of the Tana. One
night Sir Henry shot a young cow-giraffe,
of which the narrow-bones were excellent;
on another [ got couple of waterbuck,
right and left; and once, to his own intense
satisfaction, Umslopogaas (who, like most
Zulus, was vile shot with a rifle managed
TO kill a fine fat Gland with bullet from q
Martini [ had lent him. Sometimes we
varied our food by shooting some guinea
fowl, or bush-bustard, (paau)-both of
which were numerous-with shotgun or
by catching supply of beautiful yellow
fish, with which the waters of the Tana
swarmed, and which form, [ believe, one
of the chief food-supplies of the crocodiles.
Three days after our start an ominous
incident occurred. We were lust drawing
into the bank to make our camp, as usual,
for the night, when we caught sight of a
figure standing on a little knoll not forty
yards away, and intently watching our ap-
proach. One glance was sufficient-al-
though I was personally unacquainted
with the tribe-to tell me that he was
Nasal Elmoran, or young warrior. Indeed,
had had any doubts, they would have
quickly been dispelled by the terrified eiac-
ulation Of "Mds0ip' that burst simultane-
ously from the lips of our Wakwafi follow.
ers, who are, as / think have said them
selves bastard Nasal.
And what a figure he presented as ne
stood there in his savage war-gear! Ac-
custOmed as [ have been to savages all nv
life, do not think that have ever before
seen anything quite so ferocious Or awe
inspiring. TO begin with, the man was
enormously tall, quite as tall as Umslopo-
gaas, should say, and beautifully, though
somewhat slightly, shaped; but with the
face of a devil. In his right hand he held
a spear about five and half feet long, the
blade being two and half feet in length,
by nearly three inches in width, and hay-
ing an iron spike at the end of the handle
that measured more than a foot On his
left arm was a large and Well-made ellipti-
cal shield of buffalo hide, on which were
painted strange, notwithstanding devices
On his shoulders was huge cape of hawks
feathers, and round his neck was O
"naibere," or strip of cotton, about seven-
teen feet long, by one and q half broad,
with stripe of color running down the
middle of it. The tanned goatskin robe
which formed his ordinary attire in times or
peace, was tied lightly round his waist, SO
as to serve the purposes of q belt, and
through it were stuck, on the right and
left sides, respectively, his short, pear
shaped SINE, or sword, which is made of a
single piece of steel and carried in a wood
en- sheath, and an enormous knobkerrie.
But perhaps the most remarkable feature
of his attire consisted of head-dress of
ostrich-feathers, which was fixed on the
chin, and passed in front of the ears to the
forehead, and, being shaped like an ellipse,
completely framed the face, SO that the
dlabolical countenance appeared to project
from fort OF feather fre-screen. Round
the ankles he wore black fringes of hair,
and, projecting from the upper portion of
the calves, to which they were attached,
were long spurs like spikes, from which
flowed down tufts Of the beautiful black
and waving hair of the Colobus monkey.
Such was the elaborate array of the Nasal
Elmoran who stood watching the approach
of our two canoes, but it is one which, to
be appreciated must be seen; only those
who see it do not often live to describe it,
Of course I could not make out all these
details of his full dress on the occasion of
this my first introduction, being, indeed,
amply taken up with the consideration of
the general effect; but had plenty of sub
sequent opportunities of becoming &C
quainted with the items that went to make
it up.
While we were hesitating what to do,
the Nasal warrior drew himself up in a
dignified fashion. shook his huge spear at
us, snd, turning, vanished on the farther
side Of the slope.
''Hulloan' shouted Sir Henry from the
ether boat; "our friend the caravan leader
has been as good as his word, and set the
Nasal after u.s. Do you think it will be
safe to 60 ashore?"
I did not think it would be at all safe;
but, on the other hand, we had no means
of cooking in the Canoes and nothing that
we could eat raw so it was difficult to know
what to do. At last Umslopogaas simpli-
fled matters by volunteering to go and re-
connoiter, which he did, creeping off into
the bush like snake, while we hung off
in the stream waiting for him. In half am
hour he returned, and told us that there
was not a Nasal to be seen anywhere
about, but that he had discovered a spot
where they had recently been encamped,
and that from various indications he judged
that they must have moved on an hour or
so before; the man we saw having no doubt
been left to report our movements.
Thereupon we landed; and, having posted
a sentry, proceeded to cook and eat our
evening meal. This done, we took the sit
uation into our serious consideration. OF
course, it was possible that the apparition
OF the Nasal warrior had nothing to do
with US; that he was merely one of a band
bent upon some marauding and numbering
expedition against another tribe Our
friend, the Consul, had told us that such
expeditions We're about. But when we re-
called the threat of the caravan leader and
reflected on the OnlinOus way in which the
warrior had shaken his spear at US, this
did not appear very probable. On the
contrary, what did seem probable was that
the party was after us and awaiting a fay-
orable opportunity to attack us. This be
ing so there were two things that we could
do-one of which was to go on, and the
other to go back. The latter idea was,
however, rejected at once, it being obvious
that we should encounter as many dangers
in retreat as in advance; and, besides, we
had made up our minds to journey onward